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CulturalHeritageOnline: Squero Vecio

Squero Vecio


The Venetian squero is the typical shipyard for rowing boats in the city of Venice.

The etymology of the name could be linked to the Venetian word squara, that is the team, a fundamental work tool for shipwrights. According to other sources, the term could derive from the Greek ἐσχάριον (eschárion), "construction site".

Originally, in Venice the term squero generically indicated the shipyard for the construction, maintenance and shelter of boats of all sizes, both rowing and sailing, ranging from small sandołeti to large war galleys. With the centralization of shipbuilding activities in the Arsenal for the largest ships, both military and merchant, the area of ​​the squeri specialized in smaller boats for private use.

The squero is characterized by an inclined plane towards the canal or the river for the dry docking and launching of boats. Behind the floor, fenced on two sides, there is a wooden construction covered and open towards the launching surface, called tesa. The brim is at the same time the real work area, sheltered from the elements, and the tool shed. Typically, the adjoining houses or, where present, the upper floor of the squero also serve as the home of the owner or foreman.

At the time of the Republic of Venice the squeri were widespread throughout the urban territory, as the town toponymy still testifies with the numerous Calle del Squero present almost everywhere. However, there was a particular concentration in Castello, in the area where the Riva dei Sette Martiri is now (where the construction sites were dismantled to make way for the new road), in Dorsoduro and Giudecca, on the side facing the south of the lagoon. Over time, both due to the drastic reduction in the use of rowing boats, limited today to tourist or sports use, and to the advent of new construction materials such as plywood and fiberglass, the activities of the squeri they are greatly reduced, causing a drastic reduction in the number.

Currently in the city, together with some minor construction sites, only six squeri properly so-called survive: three in Dorsoduro, two in Giudecca and one in Castello.

The three squeri of Dorsoduro are the Tramontin squero, at the Ognissanti; the neighboring squero Bonaldo, also at the Ognissanti but which has completely lost its function, becoming a boat storage; the squero owned by the Municipality of Venice, known as Squero di San Trovaso. These squeri almost exclusively produce gondolas.

The two squeri of Giudecca are the Crea squero, owned by the racer Gianfranco Vianello known as Crea, who is also the only one to deliver the gondolas complete with all accessories including oars and forcole, and the Costantini-Dei Rossi squero, very faithful to the typology. classic of the squero.

Lo squero di Castello è lo squero San Giuseppe, proprietà della Società di Mutuo Soccorso fra Carpentieri e Calfati.

Questi tre squeri riescono ancora a produrre annualmente una quantità significativa non solo di gondole ma anche di altre imbarcazioni tipiche della laguna di Venezia.

For at least a century (the "historic" name dates back to 1899), the most important regatta of the rowing season has been celebrated on the first Sunday of September; since the 1950s, all the regattas have been anticipated by two parades, one historical and the other sporting, the second of which sees Generali's Gondolone among the boats leading the parade in Canalazzo.

 



Squero Vecio
Address: Calle del Squero, 6304, 30121
Phone: +39 041 522 2213
Site: https://squerovecio.wordpress.com/

Location inserted by culturalword abco

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